Tag: History
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Episode 138: The Salem Witch Trials
You stand accused of wanting to learn more about the Salem witch trials! A sad chapter of American history, the Salem witch trials were a time of paranoia, hysteria, requital, and religious fervor gone awry. Flora and Stecco discuss the cultural climate leading up to this period, including witch hunts and persecution in general. How…
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Episode 136: Astrology
Look to the stars, Blurrievers – the constellation of Blurry Photos will tell you all you need to know about astrology! An ancient divination system of complex proportions, astrology has captivated and confused mankind for thousands of years. Many people know their “sign,” but what they don’t know is the system that their sign is…
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Episode 133: Petra
Grab those camels and dust off the rifle, Blurry Photos are riding into Petra! Nicknamed the Red Rose City, Petra is a jewel of a lost city found among a beautiful sandstone landscape. But how did it come about? Who carved the gorgeous architecture into the Jordanian mountains? Why was the city lost to the…
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Episode 131: The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Grab some fresh water and ration the foodstuffs, you’re taking a trip to find the lost colony of Roanoke! Steeped in mystery and dipped in legend, the lost colony of Roanoke is the infamous and unfortunate initial attempt to establish an English settlement in America. Things didn’t go as planned, however, and what followed was a…
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Episode 124: Rainmaking
Grab your galoshes and pop the umbrella, Blurry Photos are opening the sky up in an episode all about rainmaking! A practice that spans millennia, cultures, and techniques, rainmaking has been an important part of cultural history throughout the ages. But what exactly is it? David and Dave shower you with facts, stories, music, and…
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Episode 121: Shanghai Tunnels of Portland
Flora and Stecco are pressed into service to talk about the Shanghai Tunnels of Portland! A rather legendary underground network of tunnels and rooms, the Shanghai Tunnels of Portland are a creepy, controversial location where some of humanity’s worst vice allegedly took place. Stealing people from bars and alleys of coastal cities was a popular business…
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Episode 117: Revolutionary War Ghosts
The spirits of ’76 are alive and well in Blurry Photos’ Revolutionary War Ghosts! In another homage to the Ken Burns style, David and Dave bring you an episode packed with info, quotes, “experts,” and tales of Revolutionary War Ghosts. The American revolution was a hard and bloody affair, and as with any conflict or…
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Episode 116: The Bloody Benders
July kicks off with a grisly bang as the boys of Blurry Photos introduce you to the Bloody Benders. Considered by many to be America’s first serial killers, the Bloody Benders were an immigrant family living in 1870s Kansas who ran a roadside murder inn. Flora and Stecco discuss the frightening family including history, victims,…
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Episode 115: Legendary Weapons
Dave and David act sharp and take a swing at some legendary weapons in this epic episode! Warfare has always played a big role in the shaping of civilizations throughout history, giving rise to legendary weapons both awesome and terrifying. The boys look at weapons in culture as well as game-changing advances in weaponry through the ages. They also…
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Episode 113a: Alien Taxonomy
Flora and Stecco begin to tackle the immense subject of alien taxonomy in part one of this 2 part mega episode! With alien taxonomy (or delving into the different alien races) as the ultimate goal, the boys lay the groundwork for who/what may be in the skies and beyond. The Hynek Scale of close encounters,…
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BullStone 5: Gettin’ Strange May 2015
BullStone is back, and the Davids are gettin’ strange as they discuss odd news stories! In an experimental format, the boys picked out some off-beat articles from the world’s headlines and are gettin’ strange for an episode. DNA editing, military maneuvers, hangover cures, and more are the topics of choice for this one. Can a new…
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Episode 108: Mithra
Dave and David dive into the current hot theological debate about the mysterious figure of Mithra in this episode. An ancient god whose origins can be traced to Persia, Mithra has been called the precursor to Jesus, and in some instances the exact model for him. How could a Persian god have anything to do…
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Episode 107: The Fountain of Youth
Afraid Blurry Photos is getting a bit old and stale? Fear not, here’s an anti-aging episode all about The Fountain of Youth! A mythical water source said to reverse age, cure disease, and confer a host of wonderful remedies to whomever partakes of it, The Fountain of Youth is well-known yet poorly documented. Spanish explorer…
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Episode 106: Carl Jung
The much-anticipated, probably over-rated annual drinking episode is finally here, and the boys embark on a quest to know Carl Jung in this one. A Swiss-born psychiatrist, Carl Jung was a monumental pioneer in the early days of psychological science. His theories on the mind’s workings and cultural phenomena resonate strongly today, even amidst…
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Episode 105: Druids
Season 4 of Blurry Photos is here! Flora and Stecco don their robes and beards to talk about Druids in the kickoff episode. An ancient order of learned folks, Druids have a storied and harsh history, and the current fantastical perception of them does no favors. The boys discuss their past, the belief system and…
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Episode 104: The Hinterkaifeck Murders
Season 3 of Blurry Photos closes on a creepy note with an episode all about The Hinterkaifeck Murders. A gruesome, unexplained, and ultimately unhappy incident, The Hinterkaifeck Murders is perhaps Germany’s strangest and most baffling unsolved crimes. Flora and Stecco delve into the weird events that happened on a small German farm in 1922. Who could…
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Episode 102: The Business Plot
The boys take a look at an event from one of America’s darkest times as they discuss The Business Plot. A rather little-known conspiracy from America’s recent past, The Business Plot was an apparent coup to overthrow the Roosevelt administration and install a fascist dictatorship puppeteered by the wealthy elite. The plan was thwarted, however,…
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Episode 100: The Holy Grail
Blurry Photos have reached a milestone, and the celebration is on with an episode dedicated to the Holy Grail! The Davids do a little something different in this episode, crafting a complete 40s-style radio play to educate and entertain you, the listener. A profound and influential religious artifact, the Holy Grail has been talked about…
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Episode 99: King Arthur
With the big 1 double 0 on the horizon, David and Dave embark on a perilous quest to find out what they can of the legendary King of the Britons, King Arthur. A man, a myth, a legend, few figures in history can claim such a legacy as King Arthur, yet a debate rages to…
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Episode 98: Cargo Cults
Dave and David head to Oceania to catch up on cargo cults in this episode. Known as a “cultural phenomenon,” and maybe even full-on religious movements, cargo cults have a fascinating history that offers much in the way of anthropological and sociological information. The boys discuss how they were formed and why, and also what…
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Episode 97: The Dracula Dossier with Kenneth Hite
Drac is back, and so is Blurry Photos’ friend Ken Hite to discuss his newest project, The Dracula Dossier! Ken has created a new edition of Bram Stoker’s classic tale of horror that tells the real story, along with an improvised spy thriller campaign for Night’s Black Agents RPG. He was gracious enough to swing by the…
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Episode 95: Derinkuyu
Blurry Photos are going underground for this episode about Derinkuyu! Part of a stunning underground complex in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, Derinkuyu is a whole city carved in caves, but who built it and why? The boys descend into the depths of another great mysterious site and discuss it from the bottom up. Not…
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Episode 92: Civil War Ghosts
With a full-on homage to the great documentarian Ken Burns, Blurry Photos are proud to present Civil War Ghosts, an audio journey through the tales and terrors spawned by the American Civil War. Blending terrorizing tales with fascinating facts, David and Dave weave an audio documentary of epic proportions to bring you a paranormal primer…
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Episode 85: Cahokia
The boys of Blurry Photos are St. Louis-bound and headed for the mounds of Cahokia! The site of a sprawling pre-Columbian civilization, Cahokia is infamous for its mystery and relative obscurity. Not really fitting the narrative of what many historians have believed for a long time, this site defies conceptions of early American life and…
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Episode 83: The Golem
Blurry Photos’ name is mud in this episode all about the Golem. A construct of Jewish folklore, the Golem has remained as resilient in cultural relevance as its hardened skin. The boys piece together what it is, where it came from, and how it fits into today’s society. The effect of such a story may…
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Episode 82: Curse of the Pharaohs
Flora and Stecco break the seal of the tomb and unleash the curse of the pharaohs in this episode! Stemming from a series of odd happenings, the curse of the pharaohs has threatened would-be robbers, archaeologists, and anyone connected for centuries. The boys unwrap the mystery, starting with what the curse is alleged to do,…
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Episode 81: American Tall Tales
The boys of Blurry Photos celebrate American Independence Day with a look at American tall tales! With a rich and complex environment to draw inspiration from, American tall tales helped shape the country’s identity and frame of mind. The Davids enjoy their favorite tales and try to track down possible sources in this red white…
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Episode 79: El Dorado
Welcome to the jungle as Blurry Photos take you on a search for El Dorado! A mythical city said to be made entirely out of gold, El Dorado has been sought after for hundreds of years and claimed countless lives. Flora and Stecco take the safer approach of chopping through research to find out the…
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Episode 78: Blackbeard
Brace yourselves as Blurry Photos pull up alongside you and unleash a full broadside of Blackbeard! Perhaps the most famous pirate of all time, Blackbeard had a penchant for theatrics and naval strategy that propelled him into the stuff of legends. David and Dave go toe-to-toe with the salty sea dog and explore who the…
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Episode 76a: Dreams
All your dreams are coming true in this 2-part episode! Flora and Stecco take a ride into one of science’s greatest mysteries in another podcast mega-installment. A phenomenon that has been part of human experience since humans human’d, dreams are one of the most common experiences we don’t know much about. The Davids scope out…